Gillingham have parted company with assistant manager John Schofield and goalkeeper coach Carl Muggleton.

Both arrived under former manager Martin Allen but stayed on when he was sacked and replaced by current boss Peter Taylor.

Taylor agreed a new two-year contract on Saturday night and the shake-up of his backroom team is the first of several announcements expected to come from Priestfield in the coming days.

The Gills boss has spent the day in talks with members of the playing staff and hopes to have concluded that by the end of the week.

Only eight players from the current squad are contracted beyond this summer.

Speaking of his decision to release Schofield and Muggleton, Taylor said: “I have told John and Carl they are not going to be needed for next year. Both have done superb, absolutely superb and I am not faulting their work in any way.

“It was just a case of thinking we needed fresh faces and a change.

“They both did really well, they worked hard and it is a real football decision where I think we needed something a little bit different.

“Work-rise they were both very professional.”

The pair helped lead the Gills to the League 2 title in 2013 and were also key players during the past season as the club maintained their status in League 1.

Taylor had never worked with either until arriving at Priestfield in October.

“They were very helpful and worked as hard as they could,” said the Gills boss.

“It was difficult because Martin was the manager who brought them in and sometimes it is very difficult to get on with a different opinion, different face, but they did superb.

“I really hope, and I believe they will, get work very soon and I really do thank them for their efforts. They were first class but it was just that I wanted to go with something a bit different.”

Read John Schofield's final Gillingham column in this Friday's Medway Messenger newspaper.